The Eye Magazine Wins Best Travel Magazine -Tourism Awards 2018
Ekkula PAT Awards and Exhibition is an annual activity that Researches, Nominates, Exhibits, Recognises and Awards those that selflessly put Uganda’s tourism to admirable heights. These will include both Ugandans and non-Ugandans.
The Ekkula Tourism Awards recognised key players in the tourism industry at Pearl of Africa Hotel. They used accolades made out images of Kanyonyi which was a lead silverback gorilla of the Mubare group (bwindi’s first habituated family) who died towards the end of 2017. Kanyonyi first fell off a tree, but while he was recovering after treatment, a lone silverback fought with him because he wanted to take over his group. He later succumbed to the injuries.
The glamorous was attended by the entire tourism fraternity right from the ministry of tourism wildlife and antiquities, its agencies and entire private sector.

The Eye Magazine wins the Best Travel Magazine award 2018
Uganda Tourism Board (UTB), Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), Association of Uganda Tour Operators, Uganda Hotel Owners Association and officiated by Hon Kiwanda Godfrey, state minister of tourism wildlife and antiquities. In some of the notable categories, the Ghetto kids won Best Tourism Ambassadors, as Engineer Ivan Batuma was announced the Lifetime Tourism Achiever of the Year.
Winners of the Ekkula Pearl of Africa Tourism Awards 2018:
BEST PRIVATE CULTURAL CENTER. IGONGO CULTURAL CENTER
BEST TRAVEL MAGAZINE. THE EYE MAGAZINE
BEST WILDLIFE CONSERVATION CENTER- (PRIVATE) KAVUMBA WILDLIFE EDUCATION & RESEARCH EDUCATION
BEST TOURISM BLOGGER/BLOG. SARAH KAGINGO/SOFT POWER
EXCEPTIONAL TOURISM PHOTOGRAPHER HERBERT BYARUHANGA
FINEST TRADITIONAL DANCE TROUPE ROCKIES TROUPE
BEST TOURISM PROMOTIONAL/CULTURAL FUSION SONG HOME TO AFRICA-GOOD LYFE AND PJ POWERS
TOURISM DESTINATION OF THE YEAR. BWINDI IMPENETRABLE-WESTERN UGANDA (UWA)
BEST ECO/COMMUNITY FRIENDLY SAFARI LODGE. PARK VIEW SAFARI LODGE (QUEEN ELIZABETH)
MOST ACTIVE TOURISM CLUSTER. KIGEZI TOURISM CLUSTER
OUTSTANDING MUSEUM. KIKONYONGO MONEY MUSEUM
EXCEPTIONAL TOURISM JOURNALIST. DENIS SEGOA
MOST USER FRIENDLY TOURISM ASSOCIATION. U.H.O.A
MOST ADVENTUROUS RECREATIONAL CENTER. EXTREME ADVENTURE PARK (BUSIKA)
BEST SUPPORTING AIRLINES. (ECONOMY CLASS) ETHIOPIAN AIRWAYS.
BEST SUPPORTING AIRLINES. (BUSINESS CLASS) FLY EMIRATES
OUTSTANDING TOURISM PERSONALITY. BARBRAH ADOSO
TOURISM EVENT OF THE YEAR. KCCA FESTIVAL
BEST TOURISM AMBASSORDOR THE GHETTHO KIDS-(DANCERS)
BEST SUPPORTING HOTEL. SERENA HOTEL KAMPALA
BEST SERVICE/LUXURY STANDARD HOTEL. SPEKE RESORT HOTEL MUNYONYO
YOUNG TOURISM ACHIEVER’S AWARD. NAMINYA SALEH (CASA LODGES)
TOP TOURISM INVESTOR. RUPARELIA GROUP
LIFETIME TOURISM ACHIEVER’S AWARD. ( IVAN BATUMA)